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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. toast — bread
  3. drill — army training
  4. wake — a trail
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. drill — a practice
  10. sharp — clever
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. drill — the tool
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. swing — in golf
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. plane — a tool
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. swing — to play on
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. swing — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com